Scholarship honors slain nurse

By By Georgia E. Frye / staff writer
October 28, 2004
When Wendie Chamblee received the Susie Burton Short Scholarship at Meridian Community College, she choked back tears and said she hopes she can do justice to Short's memory.
Chamblee is the recipient of the first Susie Burton Short Scholarship, a $750 award funded by Meridian obstetrician/gynecologist Dr. Ronnye Purvis. Short was a nurse in Purvis' clinic for more than 10 years.
Short was killed in December 2003 when her husband, James, followed her to work, opened her car door as she was parked on 25th Avenue in front of United Blood Services and fired a single shot at her head.
James then drove to his 44th Avenue home and used the same gun to kill himself. Short died hours later at Jeff Anderson Regional Medical Center.
Purvis said he plans to award the scholarship each year, and he hopes to increase the amount of the award to make the scholarship more competitive.
Chamblee is a 1997 graduate of Newton High School. She plans to graduate from the MCC nursing program in December of this year. She was chosen to receive the scholarship by her nursing instructors.
She said it was her dream to work in the medical profession like her parents, Tanja and Steve Chamblee. At MCC, she is president of her class and a member of Phi Theta Kappa, an honor society for community college students. She has a perfect 4.0 grade point average.
After a year of working as a licensed practical nurse, Chamblee plans to return to MCC to upgrade to a registered nurse. She said she plans to work in Meridian or Newton, where she lives with her mother.
For more information on the Susie Burton Short Scholarship, call the Meridian Community College Foundation at 484-8612.